A peaceful end to a LONG week...

Today was a Sunday, a blessed day of worship that our family spent with our home church friends. We were encouraged by the testimony of the Determan family. They shared how they came to know the Lord and changed their lives to reflect HIS ways, rather than their own. I had such peace today. Our family attended service by ourselves, while Grandma Mary went to stay with her son Hoy for the weekend. We were able to stay and enjoy the fellowship meal, visiting with friends that truly CARE about our lives. This is the way a church body should function. We are extremely grateful for the influence each one has on our family.

The opportunity to get a picture of our whole family has become rare. It's so hard to get us all together. Here we are after my grandmother's funeral...my Mom, My beloved and I, Kim, Josh, Joe, Miss K, Miss M, Miss A, and our grandbaby Leelee.



Yesterday, Saturday was the funeral for my dear sweet grandma. She passed away August 19, bringing her battle with cancer to an end. A week before I went to see her in the hospital...she had requested that I come and we felt she was making her final goodbyes. As we talked I assured her that "Jesus is waiting on you grandma." she emphatically told me "NO, I am waiting on HIM!!" and she was. She knew heaven was her home. Her earthly time was over and she longed to go on.

Her funeral was sweet. We had a friend of the family play his guitar. He is paraplegic following a car accident when I was a baby. Next some nieces came and sang Precious Memories. Finally Amazing Grace was sang, always one of my favorites. It is so true that Jesus saved 'a wretch like me'. I had the hardest time during the slide show. It's funny I could see all the pictures individually and do ok, but to see them together...to see her life played out in front of me...that was hard. She will be so missed. She was such a giving, loving woman. I never had to doubt if grandma loved me...I just knew. All the fun memories, the homemade gifts, the lessons in cooking...she seemed to know everything.

Next the pastor, Bro Danny gave an invitation. He did a wonderful job reminding us that grandma knew where she was going. If we died today would we see her there? At this point my heart broke, for as I sat on the pew with 4 of my children around me I knew that today not all my children know the LORD. There is always HOPE, but often it gets clouded over by despair. Will the truth be made clear before it is 'too late'? Will I see all my children walk with the Lord? I have one that assures me that will never happen...I'll keep praying until that day.

On other fronts, School is moving right along. Josh is doing well at Votech. I think he really enjoys the 'challenge' of the technical work. The other children are doing well in their studies. We always have some adjustments the first few weeks, but I think we're getting the bugs worked out.

Grandma Mary has had a pretty confused time this last 1-2 weeks. While I don't know the extent that the dementia causes her to be confused, she does know us and general things - PTL! We just continue to work thru the struggles, day by day and battle by battle.

Sometimes it seems life is about all the battles we will fight...when is it ever easy? With lots going on right now, I'm trying to focus on being joyful again ((rather than cranky!)) ~~the progesterone cream helps greatly...along with the constant reassurance that all things work together for good to those that love HIM (sorry I don't know the reference off the top of my head)